Popular author Angie Thomas shares the power of storytelling with New Haven students at Yale School of Public Health event

Celebrated author Angie Thomas recently partnered with the Yale School of Public Health’s Firearm Injury Prevention Initiative (FIP) to showcase the power of storytelling to an audience of highly-engaged students at New Haven’s Cooperative Arts and Humanities High School. The program — entitled Our Stories, Our Strength — explored storytelling as a way to foster connection and address gun violence and systemic inequalities.

“The Hate U Give,” Thomas’s 2017 debut novel, tells the story of a Black teenager who witnesses the fatal police shooting of her childhood friend and must navigate grief, activism, and identity while moving between her working-class neighborhood and a predominantly white private school. The novel, which was later adapted into a major motion picture, examines systemic racism, police violence, and the personal cost of speaking out, particularly for young people of color.

Thomas said “The Hate U Give” is one of the most banned books in the country, “but I keep going.” She noted that censorship often targets the book’s honest portrayal of violence, structural racism, and community trauma. “As a Black woman in America, I am used to people trying to silence me,” she added.

“Storytelling belongs to all of us,” Thomas told the students. “Every single one of us has a voice and a story, and we have the power to tell it.”

Reflecting on her early experiences with marginalization, Thomas described writing as a way to assert her voice. “I wanted to make myself heard for once — it’s a story I wanted to tell.” Inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement, “The Hate U Give” spent three years on The New York Times bestseller list and has been translated in more than 30 languages, Thomas said.

Thomas reflected on her upbringing to show the importance of authentic storytelling. Growing up in an under resourced neighborhood in Jackson, Mississippi, she saw few public figures whose experiences mirrored her own. She found representation in Tupac Shakur, whose lyrics spoke about growing up in neighborhoods like hers — in a way that books had not. His unfiltered approach showed how storytelling can affirm and inspire communities often excluded from mainstream narratives. “Hip hop taught me the power of voice and the importance of authenticity,” Thomas said.

Thomas’s reflections highlighted how sharing one’s story can create connection. Nelba Márquez-Greene, LMFT, a community scholar for YSPH’s FIP and the organizer of the high school event, experienced this firsthand. “After my daughter was killed in Sandy Hook, I started telling my story to anyone who would listen — and I got to meet so many people through that,” she said.

Other members of YSPH’s Firearm Injury Prevention Initiative described how storytelling can be used to effectively communicate in public health practice. At YSPH, faculty and staff use story narratives to link scientific evidence with community experiences. This fosters connection and often helps increase understanding when discussing firearm injury prevention and violence, they said.

Dr. Kerri Raissian, PhD, MPA, a senior research scientist at YSPH and executive director of FIP, described storytelling as the foundation of her research. “The stories we hear from families and communities shape the questions we ask, the data we gather, and the policies we ultimately hope to influence,” she said. In her model — listen, research, tell — stories spark inquiry, findings inform lawmakers, and outcomes reshape community narratives.

YSPH Associate Professor of Epidemiology (Chronic Diseases) Dr. Christopher Morrison, PhD, MPH, showed how data can tell stories. Using line graphs and maps, he compared New Haven’s 1930s racial housing policies with current patterns of firearm injury. “We use comparisons, maps, and the scientific method to study gun violence,” Morrison explained, highlighting how visualizing data reveals the historical roots of today’s public health challenges.

Dr. James Dodington, MD, an associate professor of pediatrics (emergency medicine) and medical director, injury and violence prevention at the Yale School of Medicine, joined Pepe Vega, lead prevention outreach associate for the Violence Intervention Program at Yale New Haven Health, onstage to emphasize the importance of community voices in designing interventions. “It’s so important to understand people’s stories to shape our programs,” he said, highlighting how story narratives guide hospital-based services and violence de-escalation initiatives.

The discussion resonated deeply with those in attendance.

“This is great for all students; it’s what makes our school so special,” said Erin Michaud, a high school visual arts teacher. “Kids will come into my classroom and say, ‘I want to create some art about that.’”

Throughout the program, Thomas and Márquez-Greene emphasized the power of youth creativity and students’ personal gifts, repeating the phrase, “your gifts will make room for you.” Thomas encouraged students to recognize the value of their voices: “Whether the world invites you in or not, you all are sitting on gifts and talents with the ability to do incredible things,” she said.

Thomas concluded the visit by giving 150 signed copies of “The Hate U Give” to the students. Reflecting on the day, Michaud said, “Every student knows the book, and every student is excited about it.”

Following the program, Thomas visited students in their classrooms, where she listened to their story ideas and spoke with them about the craft of storytelling and the power of using their voices. Michaud added, “Angie was wonderful, and her message was so meaningful for our kids today.”

Speaking directly to the students, Thomas urged them to approach the world with perspective and persistence. “You all can change the world. Watch how we are failing and learn from our mistakes,” she said. Thomas added, “Change does not happen quickly. We need endurance; the best things take time.”

Drawing on the Civil Rights Movement, she concluded, “Because those folks had the audacity to keep moving forward, I need you all to have audacity too.” Her words left students with a clear call to action and a reminder that resilience and voice can shape the future.